Jokić to Šimun: I proved that my dismissal was illegal, now someone needs to bear responsibility for it

Former director of the Podgorica Health Center and official of the United Montenegro, Danilo Jokić, said that the final verdict of the Higher Court in Podgorica confirmed that his dismissal from that position was illegal, politically motivated and without legal basis.

In a public address to Health Minister Vojislav Šimun, Jokić expressed his belief that the decision to dismiss him was not Šimun's idea, but the result of subterfuge by the minister's closest associates, and said that he expects that after such a verdict, someone will bear the consequences.

"I have proven that my dismissal from the position of director of the Podgorica Public Health Center was politically motivated and shameful. After the final verdict of the Higher Court in Podgorica, which confirmed that my dismissal from the position of director of the Capital City Health Center was illegal, the Montenegrin public finally received judicial confirmation of what I have been saying from day one — that I was dismissed without law, without evidence and without a valid explanation," Jokić's address states.

He said that the court clearly established that it was not proven that he violated the law, that he did not implement the decisions of the Board of Directors or acted contrary to the interests of the institution. On the contrary, Jokić added, it was established that the reasons for his dismissal were blanket, arbitrary and legally untenable.

"This verdict represents a heavy defeat for those who thought that institutions could be used as a means of political reckoning, and functions could be distributed and taken away at the will of the centers of power, and not according to the law. Of particular concern is the fact that a director of a public health institution could be dismissed without evidence, without clearly established responsibility, and based on constructions that did not withstand even the basic judicial test of legality. This is not just my personal case — it is a warning to all professionals in the public system of what happens when politics tries to prevail over the law," Jokić assessed.

The former director of the Podgorica Health Center stated that he was not asking for privileges, but only what belongs to every citizen — legal action and the right to the truth.

"I have not and will not seek compensation, which would be paid by the citizens, because this verdict is moral satisfaction from the attempt to humiliate my associates and me for honorable work. I believe even now, after a conversation with you, that the decision to dismiss is not from your head, but the result of a subterfuge by your closest associates, the same ones I fought against for several decades. Who are ready to leave you alone, if their privileges are threatened, just like those from before. But you, the minister, signed the illegal decision to dismiss," Jokić pointed out.

Today, he adds, it is clear that the truth was on his side.

"I thank everyone who had the courage to remain professional and principled in a time of pressure and political calculations. I owe special gratitude to my associates and citizens who knew that behind the hype and political noise was an attempt to discredit, not the facts. I expect at least a minimum of institutional and moral responsibility from those who made an illegal decision. In serious states, after such verdicts, someone bears the consequences. The rule of law must not be an empty phrase. If the law does not apply equally to everyone, then institutions lose their meaning and citizens lose their trust," concluded Jokić.